Starwind Specialty Insurance

What Starwind Specialty Insurance does

Starwind Specialty Insurance is a managing general underwriter (MGU) and program administrator that designs, builds, and operates specialty property and casualty insurance programs on behalf of A-rated carrier partners. The company is headquartered in New York and operates as a subsidiary of CRC Group, a wholesale insurance services and distribution specialist, with 501–1,000 employees. Starwind's portfolio spans 20+ specialty verticals organized into named program sub-brands, including Builders Risk, Cannabis, Community Associations, Environmental, Flood Placement Services (FPS), Marine + Energy, Personal Lines, Political Violence + Terrorism (PVT), Transportation, and Workers' Compensation. In addition to proprietary programs, Starwind distributes and manages partner MGU programs such as Allstar Surety, ChemPlan, Continental Underwriters, Huntersure, Negley Associates, and Southern Hospitality Underwriters, creating a multi-product specialty distribution platform.

The company reaches wholesale brokers and retail agents exclusively through indirect distribution channels, providing a self-serve broker portal (portalcc.starwindins.com) for online quoting and binding, complemented by dedicated agency distribution managers and senior underwriters. Revenue is generated through underwriting management fees, commissions, and program administration fees on premiums flowing through its MGU platform. In 2024, Starwind secured $270 million in alternative capital through a Fractal Re Ltd. reinsurance sidecar, providing proprietary reinsurance capacity to support its subsidiaries. Supporting go-to-market infrastructure includes the Tools + Intel content hub covering nine vertical risk categories and a LinkedIn-driven brand presence. The company holds COPPA compliance and operates under Florida governing law.

Name

Starwind Specialty Insurance

Legal name

Starwind Specialty Insurance

Website

https://starwindins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Starwind Specialty Insurance is a managing general underwriter and program administrator operating 20+ specialty P&C insurance programs for retail agents and wholesale brokers, backed by A-rated carrier partnerships and CRC Group distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Insurance (P&C Managing General Underwriting)

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty insurance programs
• Managing general underwriting
• Wholesale insurance distribution
• Program administration services
• Property casualty insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Program Administration: Starwind operates as a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) and program administrator, generating revenue through administering insurance programs for various business classes and earning underwriting management fees from carrier partnerships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Starwind Specialty Insurance operates as a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) and program administrator that designs, builds, and manages specialty property and casualty insurance programs across more than 20 business classes—including cannabis, flood, workers' compensation, environmental, marine/energy, political violence/terrorism, transportation, community associations, builders risk, personal lines, and aviation. The company distributes these programs exclusively through wholesale brokers and retail agents, providing A-rated carrier-backed capacity, underwriting management, and a digital broker portal for quoting and binding.

Product overview

Starwind Specialty Insurance operates as a managing general underwriter (MGU) and program administrator offering a multi-product insurance platform. The core Starwind branded products include specialized programs for Builders Risk, Cannabis, Community Associations, Environmental, Flood Placement Services (FPS), Marine + Energy, Personal Lines, Political Violence + Terrorism (PVT), Transportation, and Workers' Compensation. In addition to its proprietary products, Starwind distributes and manages programs from partner MGUs including Allstar Surety, Alpine Rio, American Insurance Professionals, ChemPlan, Continental Underwriters, Ethos, FEDS Protection, Global Claim Services, Huntersure, Negley Associates, Norman-Spencer, Prime Specialty, Pro-Praxis, RMA, SHU, Target Professional Programs, Thorn Valley Safety, and Venture Underwriters. The company also provides a digital broker portal for online quoting and policy management. The platform serves retail agents and brokers nationwide, offering both admitted and non-admitted coverage through A-rated carrier partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Starwind Cannabis: Cannabis supply chain insurance coverage
• Starwind Environmental
• Starwind Marine + Energy
• Starwind Personal Lines
• Starwind PVT
• Starwind Transportation
• Starwind WC
• Starwind Builders Risk
• Starwind FPS
• Starwind Community Associations

Products and services

• Starwind Builders Risk Delivers tailored Builders Risk insurance solutions for complex construction projects nationwide, providing comprehensive coverage and a streamlined underwriting process from ground-up through completion.
• Starwind Cannabis Delivers tailored insurance solutions for businesses operating across the cannabis supply chain, providing comprehensive protection with a seamless underwriting process.
• Starwind Community Associations Specializes in designing and managing insurance programs for condominium associations, homeowner associations, and golf and country clubs.
• Starwind Environmental Provides customized insurance solutions addressing unique environmental, professional, and general operational exposure needs on a primary or excess basis.
• Starwind FPS (Flood Placement Services) Delivers reliable, compliant flood insurance solutions tailored to brokers' needs with specialized placement and underwriting support nationwide.
• Starwind Marine + Energy Provides tailored insurance solutions across marine and energy sectors spanning commercial property, cargo, bulk liquid storage, and stock throughput for oil and gas and marine exposures.
• Starwind Personal Lines Offers innovative, technology-driven insurance products backed by skilled underwriting, strong agency partnerships, and commitment to growth through new products and market expansion.
• Starwind PVT (Political Violence + Terrorism) Provides customized insurance solutions for international political violence and terrorism risks, offering broad protection against high-impact events including sabotage, terrorism, riot, war on land, and active assailant coverage.
• Starwind Transportation Delivers smart, efficient coverage for trucking, specialty haulers, logistics, public transportation, towing, and more powered by deep expertise, strong markets, and data-driven solutions.
• Starwind WC (Workers' Compensation) Delivers tailored Workers' Compensation solutions nationwide with MGA expertise, helping place complex and hard-to-place risks across more than 600 class codes with A-rated carrier access.
• ABC Aviation Program A managing general underwriter writing property, inland marine, and auto coverages for aviation-based companies, as well as designated premises liability when combined with property.
• Allstar Surety A managing general underwriter for several A-rated/T-listed companies including access to the SBA Bond Guarantee Program, providing dynamic array of contract and commercial bonding options.
• Alpine Rio Insurance Services A personal lines company specializing in writing non-standard automobile and property insurance coverages throughout Texas using an advanced technology platform.
• ChemPlan Provides GL, Auto, Umbrella, Property, and Pollution coverage for chemical distributors and manufacturers nationwide with exceptional customer service and innovative insurance products.
• Continental Underwriters Provides tailored marine, inland marine, excess liability, and cargo coverages from highest-rated carriers domestic and abroad with over 50 years of experience.
• Ethos (Medical Stop-Loss) A full-service managing general underwriter providing specific and aggregate medical stop-loss coverage for companies that self-insure their employee health benefits.
• FEDS Protection Provides insurance solutions for unique exposures of federal employees and contractors.
• Global Claim Services A full-service field adjustment and claims administration company providing field investigation, property evaluation, coverage analysis, settlement negotiation, and litigation management.
• Huntersure Provides Professional Liability Insurance including Allied Health and Legal Malpractice Insurance Coverage.
• Negley Associates A managing general underwriter serving the insurance needs of the behavioral healthcare, addiction, and related social services industry.
• Norman-Spencer A real estate professional and wholesale brokerage servicing more than 3,000 independent agents with industry-tailored coverage, competitive pricing, specialized claims, and risk management services.
• Prime Specialty Commercial General Liability Division writing primary coverage for accounts domiciled in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and follow-form excess liability coverage in NYS.
• Pro-Praxis An underwriting management firm specializing in addressing unique risks associated with the healthcare industry.
• RMA A licensed Reinsurance Intermediary and Life and Health Managing General Agency with Property and Casualty Broker licenses throughout Canada and the U.S.A.
• Southern Hospitality Underwriters (SHU) A nationwide managing general underwriter with over 25 years of experience providing insurance coverage to hotels, motels, and restaurants.
• Target Professional Programs Offers exclusive Professional and Management Liability Programs for over 300 professional classes for over two decades with access to Superior and Excellent markets.
• Thorn Valley Safety Provides loss control services to insurers and general agencies including on-site surveys, phone surveys, telematics, safety training, claims advocacy, and mock audits.
• Venture Underwriters Underwrites surplus lines risks produced exclusively by wholesale brokers offering both primary and excess liability coverages nationwide.
• Starwind Broker Portal Digital broker login and quote platform providing access to Starwind's specialty insurance programs including Cannabis, FPS, Workers' Compensation, and various commercial lines.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RPS (Risk Placement Services): RPS is one of the largest specialty wholesale distributors and program administrators in the U.S., offering MGUs and binding authorities across dozens of specialty verticals, directly comparable in scale and product breadth to Starwind.
• Brown & Riding Insurance Services: Brown & Riding is a wholesale insurance brokerage and program administrator specializing in E&S and specialty property/casualty placements, comparable to Starwind in target market and channel model.
• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is a major wholesale insurance brokerage and program administrator offering specialty property, casualty, and personal lines through broker channels, directly comparable to Starwind's program-administration model.
• AmRisc: AmRisc is a CRC Group-affiliated E&S specialty MGU focused on catastrophe-exposed property risks; it is a direct sibling peer given the shared parent and overlapping wholesale distribution model for hard-to-place specialty risks.
• NSM Insurance Group: NSM is a specialty MGU/program administrator focused on niche verticals (collectibles, habitational, social services), with a comparable strategy of building distributed specialty programs through wholesale broker channels.
• Skyward Specialty Insurance: Skyward Specialty is a specialty property/casualty insurer and program underwriter serving niche verticals through wholesale and retail distribution, closely aligned with Starwind's specialty P&C MGU model.

Broad incumbents

• CRC Group: CRC Group is Starwind's parent company and one of the largest U.S. wholesale insurance services groups, operating multiple specialty wholesalers, MGUs, and binding authorities; included as the broad incumbent context for Starwind's operations.
• IAT Insurance Group: IAT is a specialty insurance carrier operating program business across multiple niche classes through MGU partnerships, comparable as a specialty risk-accepting partner for many of the same program structures Starwind administers.

Emerging players

• Accelerant Holdings: Accelerant is a newer specialty insurance platform enabling MGUs with data, capital, and risk-sharing via sidecars and member-owned capacity, conceptually aligned with Starwind's Fractal Re alternative-capital strategy.
• Mainsail Insurance Group: Mainsail is an emerging specialty insurance platform building a portfolio of niche MGUs and program administrators, comparable to Starwind as a younger specialty MGU aggregator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starwind

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Starwind Specialty Insurance